[adityapd]

Thanks Cheapdeal , RJK and special thanks to vivekiny2K..for those detailed inputs...yes I am married ( does that have any effect on the insurance premium) and will be earning during my stay in the US...so there is a possibiility of increasing my budget from 3 to 5 K...is there any used SUV in this range ? will going for an SUV push up the insurance premiums further ?


any possible suggestions considering my revised budget of 5 K ...i prefer 4 door good looking sedans...

~A

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by adityapd

yes I am married ( does that have any effect on the insurance premium) and will be earning during my stay in the US...so there is a possibiility of increasing my budget from 3 to 5 K...is there any used SUV in this range ? will going for an SUV push up the insurance premiums further ?

yes, my premium went down by around 40-50 $ (for 6 months) when i corrected them. remember to explicitly tell them you are married.

depending upon your zip code, the market can be totally different. i suggest exploring the used car market sites mentioned earlier in this discussion to estimate what's available and at what price. same goes for insurance. you can do an online estimate anytime. for a used car worth 5K, it shud be same normally.

[vasudeva]

Consumer Reports on cars and models in the US: Consumer Reports - Cars

[aah78]

Originally Posted by adityapd

My Indian driving license is more than 10 yrs old ( Age 30 currently) and the current car and insurance here is on dad's name. I am planning to take an IDP from the RTO in Mumbai...will that be sufficient or do I have to take any other letter recommendation from the authorities to save a couple of $ on insurance , etc.

rules in the US vary from state-to-state - some states require you to have an IDP along-with your Indian license, some states require you to only have an Indian license (no IDP reqd.), and few states require you to have a valid US license to drive.
check out the following site to confirm - you'll find contact information on there -> Online DMV - Washington.

you will not save money on insurance with a letter or an IDP.

[adityapd]

Originally Posted by aah78

rules in the US vary from state-to-state - some states require you to have an IDP along-with your Indian license, some states require you to only have an Indian license (no IDP reqd.), and few states require you to have a valid US license to drive.
check out the following site to confirm - you'll find contact information on there -> Online DMV - Washington.

you will not save money on insurance with a letter or an IDP.

Thanks for the info aah78...i had referred this site for Wa-DMV earlier too however couldn't find any mention about IDP there...can someone tell me whether an IDP will be valid in Washington or no ?

~A

[Technocrat]

@adityapd: My bro is in NY & he recently got his car license, If you have an Indian license you only need to give written test & no driving test, So I think no need to get IDP. This is just FYI Dont know whether this would be the case with you though.

[revtech]

ok an update...

im in florida..had been looking out for bikes but jus not being able to get a good condition on in my budget.and i need transportation real bad so started looking out for cars.was looking for 1998-2000 mitsubishi eclipse and ford mustangs in the range of around $ 5000.even came across a 3000GT but needed a little work.i finally picked up a 94 mitsubishi eclipse...it seems good only bad part is its got 18 inch rims with 245 MM federal tyres and NO thats NOT a typo.so its making it a little sluggish.besides that it seems good.its almost impossible to wheelspin.

any thing i should look into in particular ? i did notice water leaking but it didnt when the AC was off.

now for the next phase.that is insurance and getting it registered.im going to have to find the cheapest possible bet cause i dont intend paying a lot LOl


carl

ps any members from florida ?

[revtech]

ok

i check out a number of insurance sites and i got the cheapest quote from direct general (Direct Insurance) ...should ii go ahead.has any one heard anything good/bad bout these guys.


i havta fly in 4 hours.i better get some sleep.but if any one know anythin please post...

[asitkde]

I have never bought an used car in the US but have bought new cars thrice and then sold them too. Although all this was in eighties and nineties, I can suggest a few things which are still relevant today.
1) Never buy an used car from a dealer. After six months when you will sell your vehicle, also follow the same, that is , give an independent ad and sell it to an individual. Never sell to a dealer. I made that mistake with my first new car. You would get very little for your car from a dealer.

2) Buy a Japanese car. Many good cars have been suggested above like the corolla, the Civic etc. Take a look at the Nissan Sentra also, although I have no information on it now. I owned one once upon a time. Chances are that you would get the Sentra at a slightly lower cost than the Hondas and Toyotas but it should retain its value for resale reasonably well. It's an equally good car.

3) Buy a car from the first owner of the car. That is, do not buy 3rd hand, 4th hand cars.

4) Test drive and then take it to a reliable mechanic. For a few bucks, he would do a thorough checking of the basic things.

5) Do not get unduely worried about buying a car with nearly 100,000 miles as has already been suggested above. If it is maintained well, it may be a better car than an average maintained car in India with 30,000 kms. It's not just good driving conditions. People in US grow up with cars (or better said, in cars). They (including women) have a great deal more knowledge about cars than people in India and as a result can take better care. The knowledge mentioned above is acquired through just driving a lot of miles from the age of 16, and not by reading auto magazines.Also generally they are the most civic drivers of the world. For example, if you are driving and you had to break suddenly, a normal middle-aged American would usually apologise to the passengers (even to the wife or children).

6) Good thing about US is everything has a documentation and there is a well defined procedure for everything. There are bad sides of these too, but in your case it will be beneficial to you. Follow the blue book and things of that sort for price etc. You should get a great deal of help from the net as well.

If I can think of something else, I would let you know.

[revtech]

thanx a lot but i already bought a car...stated that in the post just before yours.

thanx any way

rev

[aah78]

Originally Posted by revtech

and i got the cheapest quote from direct general (Direct Insurance)

never heard about them. why don't you look up reviews and see if you find any information regarding them?

try not to go in for the cheapest insurance you find - it's not always a bad thing, however, depending on the providing company you choose, you might be better off paying a little more to another company for better service.

accidents happen - you need to be on the safe side and know you're covered. it's not very difficult to get dragged into a court case in the US, regardless of fault.

[Rock 'n' rollz]

Hey guys,

need some help here.. I have just reached Detroit and shopping for my first ride (off course a used one...).

I have 2 options.
1. Honda Accord SE 1997, 118K, 4500
Very well maintained car. 2 owners. Current owner has all service records. Timing belt, 4 tyres changed 4 months back (I have seen the receipts), price firm.

2. Toyota Camry LE 1998, 117K, 4200
Has few scratches, front passenger door needs to be manually locked, passenger side view power mirror not working, older tyres and a few issues here and there. Hardly any records maintained. Drives well. Price negotiable (expect to go down till 3900)

I personally liked Accord coz its really well maintained. Its a steal at that price. It has anti theft device (will help me reduce my insurance premium). Has moon roof, keyless entry as additional features.

But a lot of friends out here are suggesting me to go for camry as its 1998 car, resale value, getting it cheap. Camry in general has a lot of fan following among desis.

So here I am inviting your views. I need to close the deal this weekend.

Cheers...

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Rock 'n' rollz

I have 2 options.
1. Honda Accord SE 1997, 118K, 4500
Very well maintained car. 2 owners. Current owner has all service records. Timing belt, 4 tyres changed 4 months back (I have seen the receipts), price firm.

2. Toyota Camry LE 1998, 117K, 4200
Has few scratches, front passenger door needs to be manually locked, passenger side view power mirror not working, older tyres and a few issues here and there. Hardly any records maintained. Drives well. Price negotiable (expect to go down till 3900)

I personally liked Accord coz its really well maintained. Its a steal at that price. It has anti theft device (will help me reduce my insurance premium). Has moon roof, keyless entry as additional features.

Go down to $3900 for the Camry and you will still have to pay for a new mirror and a set of tyres - the cost'll add up and you won't be saving $600 in the long run.

If you can, look-up CARFAX / AutoCheck reports, just to be on the safe side - they'll give you additional information on any issues, eg. failed state-inspection, etc.

Why'd you want to live with a few issues here and there?

As regards mileage - both cars are level - so pick the Accord. From what you've mentioned it's obviously the better deal.

[1100D]

Add to that the Accord SE has BOSE audio.

[chetanhanda]

Originally Posted by Rock 'n' rollz

Hey guys,

need some help here.. I have just reached Detroit and shopping for my first ride (off course a used one...).

I have 2 options.
1. Honda Accord SE 1997, 118K, 4500
Very well maintained car. 2 owners. Current owner has all service records. Timing belt, 4 tyres changed 4 months back (I have seen the receipts), price firm.

2. Toyota Camry LE 1998, 117K, 4200
Has few scratches, front passenger door needs to be manually locked, passenger side view power mirror not working, older tyres and a few issues here and there. Hardly any records maintained. Drives well. Price negotiable (expect to go down till 3900)

I personally liked Accord coz its really well maintained. Its a steal at that price. It has anti theft device (will help me reduce my insurance premium). Has moon roof, keyless entry as additional features.

But a lot of friends out here are suggesting me to go for camry as its 1998 car, resale value, getting it cheap. Camry in general has a lot of fan following among desis.

So here I am inviting your views. I need to close the deal this weekend.

Cheers...

Im sure u must have taken a test drive when the engine was hot etc ..
personally I would sugest the accord..

just a few suggestions/pointers before u go ahead..
1] did u check the carfax report ?
2] take the car to a "pep boys" station if the owner allows you, they will do an inspecton for you.. to check if its a lemon..


If u are not a DIY car guy I would suggest u go for a car with lesser miles approx 85000 miles etc.
118/117 K miles is quite old and u may come across some issues which will cost u a bomb if u go to a dealership, price of servicing is unbeleivable.
If u have the time/expertise to debug/mantain the 100k+ miles car go ahead otherwise stick to a safe 85kmile car maybe a civic/altima for the same price..

Go for a car with a good engine + low miles even if its a bit of a low end model- anti theft, paint,tyres etc can always be looked at later on

Originally Posted by Rock 'n' rollz

Timing belt

what about the water pump ? coolant flush ,power steering flush + kit ? etc ... long list for 100K+ car, all of these are also due.